Holy War
by PMOHWinters
Summary: Would you fight your own people to save them? That is the dilemma Holy Ralamee must face.
1. Prologue: Hymn to the Fallen

Author's Notes: Yes, another fanfic. Set in the same universe as my first fic, so expect references and crossovers.

Prologue: Hymn to the Fallen

September 2552 

**Covenant world "Karth" destination unknown**

Holy Ralamee sighed as he looked over the fields of his homeworld of Karth. Just four years ago, the fields were filled with absolute beauty. Bright blue-green grass, and brilliant gold flowers formed a sea of color as far as the eye could see. It was paradise, and Holy and his people believed it would last forever on their world.

How wrong he was.

It felt like a cycle ago when Holy was standing at this same exact spot, looking at legions of his Elite brethren marching off to war with pride. During that time, Holy was still too young to serve in wartime, and was restricted to guard duty. That is, until just three years ago. The war against the humans proved more taxing on the Covenant forces than they had initially thought, and Holy was pressed into service early. For the next three years, Holy fought in countless campaigns and battles, and though he was victorious in every one, it felt as if every victory was a hollow one. In a span of just three years, he had seen his brethren killed in almost every way imaginable. He had seen friends and fellow Elites being shot, burned, ripped to shreds, crushed, blown apart, impaled, and countless other gruesome and nightmare inducing fates.

Holy looked back over the field, and the endless sea of grass, and the legions of his brethren slowly turned into a barren snow-covered graveyard. The grass and flowers were dead and gone, and the ranks and files of Elite troops faded away and were replaced by gravestones. Thousands, millions, gravestones as far as the eye could see. Holy shook his head as one thought rippled through his mind.

_Is this war really worth the cost?_

Just a few cycles ago, Holy would have said yes to that question without any hesitation. But now, after that incident with the Prophet, Holy was not so sure.

_The Prophets claim that they are all-powerful and all-knowing, but I have sinned and they are completely oblivious to it._

Thoughts and decisions shot back and forth through his head like cannons returning fire against one another. Either way, one side as going to win, and there was no room for a tie.

_What should I do?_

Holy stood there for a long time, not moving. After what seemed like years, the Elite finally settled on a decision.

_Yes, I must commit the ultimate crime to save my people. Even if it means my death._


	2. Ch 1: Being in the Elite

Author's notes: As to prevent confusion, I have a little color code of Elite armor set up.

Blue: Basic Grunts

Purple: NCOs

Red: Commissioned Officers

Green: Scouts

Black: Covert Ops or Special Forces

Gold: Field Masters

Holy War

Chapter 1: Being in the Elite

Holy Ralamee was destined to do great things. It was determined at the moment of his birth, when it almost coincided to the exact second of one of the greatest Elites in the Annals of Karth. He was called Holy Shakazee, or by his more well known title, "Slayer of a Thousand Stars". For this honor, Holy Ralamee was named for that hero and handed over to the Ralamee clan. The Ralamee clan was notorious for gathering up the best and brightest Elites they could find. Their ability to provide some of the most effective Elite warriors gave them much favor with the Prophets, and as a result, the Ralamee clan was a very active force in the ruling and politics of Karth.

The life of luxury, however, came with a price, and life was not easy on Holy. Constant political infighting and clan rivalries led to feuds, assassinations, and kidnapping attempts. Many of these events focused on Holy, as it was boasted that he was the reincarnation of one of Karth's greatest heros. Holy's parents, the next two foster ones, and countless relatives were killed in such events, and the Elite child always lived in constant fear of being captured or killed by a rival clan, and also having to live up to his inherited name as the "Slayer of a Thousand Stars". The enormous strain and anxiety on the young Elite led to nervous breakdowns and other psychological disorders, and Holy's health began to decline.

Fearful of losing one of their prized prodigies, the Ralamee clan leaders decided it was best to temporarily exile Holy to a safer world. After exerting some political pressure on the Prophets, it was fairly easy for Holy to gain passage to the Citadel of the Gods. A training ground for the Prophets' personal armies.

With new surroundings, and the fear of death gone, Holy regained much of his nerve and excelled in his studies. By the time of the Covenant-Human War, Holy was already in his final training cycle. The moment Holy heard about the war, he sacrificed his chance to graduate from the Citadel and signed up for the first front-line unit he could find, even though he was too young to officially do so. The Ralamee clan was shocked at his rash decision, but quickly salvaged the situation. Due to a "application error", for the next year, Ralamee was cycled back to Karth under guard duty.

The war had different ideas.

The first colony to fall resulted in almost no Covenant casualties, though that was mostly due to surprise. By the time the Covenant Armada reached the second human colony, the defenders there were prepared. By the time the planet was glassed, the Covenant had already lost a dozen ships and over a million troops of assorted types. The next year of combat didn't do much to change this, either. After seeing the casualty lists, Holy calculated that every minute, 5 Covenant troops would either be killed, captured, or wounded. What made it more horrifying was that for every 10 Covenant troops to be listed as casualties, 1 would be captured, two would be wounded, and _seven_ would be dead.

It wasn't long until the statistics finally caught up with the Covenant. After just one year, Holy was cycled out of guard duty to make up for Elite losses. He was promoted to a Templar, given the ceremonial crimson armor, and assigned to the _Everlasting Vigilance_.

For the next two years after that, Holy served on the frontlines, won countless victories, and even achieved the rank of High Templar. Holy also witnessed the deaths of many of his friends and fellow Elites. Whenever he saw a fellow Elite go down, Holy always felt sad and angry at the same time. Most other Elites merely redirected his anger, blaming his fellows' deaths on the "heretics". Holy at first believed them, that is, until he was sent on a covert mission.

In the human year 2551, Holy and a group of other specially selected Elites were chosen on a special, extended covert mission. It involved infiltrating human bases using their stealth technology and gather intelligence on the human military and their condition. Being the proud Elite he was, Holy gladly accepted the assignment.

Out of the 200 Elites, only Holy returned. The other 199 were never heard of again.

During the assignment, Holy observed the humans, and was shocked at what he discovered. The humans were proud, honorable, and first and foremost, warriors. The humans were _just like them_. He watched them talk, laugh, eat, and fight. Soon, to Holy, the line between humans and Elites seemed to blur up to the point of their appearances.

When he finally returned, Holy declared his findings as "inconclusive". The Prophets, who had no other Elite to combat the claim, accepted the declaration and moved on to other matters. It was the first time Holy knew something that the Prophets didn't, and it wouldn't be the last time.

Two months later, Holy was called back by the Prophets. This time, it was for more dire and gruesome matters. One of Holy's closest and best friends, Sakai Zakanee, had attempted to retrieve a Forerunner artifact from the humans on a world called "Octanus". His unit was slaughtered, and Sakai ordered a retreat. Normally, a matter like this would earn Sakai a reprimand and possibly a beating from a higher-ranking Elite, but because a Forerunner artifact was involved, the Prophets were all over it. They declared Sakai a "coward" and demanded he be executed for his failure. Because Holy was the only Elite on hand, he was ordered to find Sakai and kill him.

Holy eventually tracked down his old friend, but couldn't bring himself to shoot him. Instead, he spared Sakai's life, and let his friend flee into hiding. Scared to death of what might happen to him, Holy returned to the Prophets and informed them that Sakai was dead. The Prophets were overjoyed and began discussing whether Holy should be made a Field Master.

After that meeting, Holy decided to take a walk and visit some friends on the fields, or rather, the graveyards of Karth. And the rest, they say, is history.


	3. Author's Note: An Early Demise

Author's Note: An Early Demise

Author's Notes: Heh, to tell the truth, now that I think about it, this whole thing didn't quite work out as well as I thought it would, so I'm just going to end it right now. But don't worry, this won't be the last time you see Holy in action. Just keep a lookout on my fics (hint hint).

I'm just going to keep this story around for reference purposes, but who knows, one day I just might decide to resurrect it, but who knows...

I'll be seeing you again, pretty soon...


End file.
